ILOILO — Police have filed a murder complaint against the suspect in the fatal shooting of a former village chief in Tigbauan town.
The suspect, 51-year-old John Castro Jr., faces Criminal Case No. VI-11-INV-24J-01641 for the death of Jovanni Triste, 58, a former barangay chief of San Rafael, Tigbauan, on October 24.
Following the shooting, Castro initially fled but later surrendered to authorities, claiming he acted in self-defense. He also turned over the firearm used in the incident to a family friend before going into hiding.
According to Police Staff Sergeant Glenn Mark Abayon’s report to the Iloilo Provincial Police Office (IPPO), the investigation points to a personal grudge as the primary motive behind the killing.
The alleged animosity traces back to February 13, 2019, when Triste, then the barangay chief, reportedly searched Castro’s home.
Witnesses stated that prior to the shooting, Castro confronted Triste, accusing him of causing “huge inconvenience,” and subsequently fired multiple shots.
“This appears to be a personal dispute, unrelated to any election matters,” the police report confirmed.
IPPO director Colonel Bayani Razalan said the murder case was filed as a regular case, and authorities are awaiting an arrest warrant to proceed with detaining Castro.
Razalan noted, “We could not hold the suspect as the manhunt operation period has lapsed, so we have to wait for the arrest warrant to be issued.”/PN
